


There's Nothing Wrong

by CaptainErica



Category: Big Bang (Band), K-pop
Genre: BaeRi, M/M, Mentions of blood obvi, it's longer than I expected i'm sorry it's weird, vampire!Seungri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 23:57:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: Youngbae has been avoiding Seungri recently, and he's only just realized that it's /him/ that Youngbae is avoiding.





	There's Nothing Wrong

There is nothing wrong with Youngbae.

_ There is nothing, whatsoever, wrong with Youngbae. _

There is--

“Seungri, you’re up first, come on.” one of the stylists says, and he shakes his head, pastes on a smile, and heads over to sit in the indicated chair.

There  _ is _ something wrong with Youngbae. He isn't sure what it is, but he knows that he's right. He can  _ feel _ it. 

Youngbae, along with Jiyong, had been his biggest helpers when he'd first turned. Needy and hungry and not subtle enough yet, they had been the first people he'd fed on...and he’d done so for weeks, months even. But then....

“Tilt.” The stylist says, and Seungri tilts his head the way she wants, eyes closing. He hasn't eaten yet this week, his eyes are red and his skin paler than normal so he knows he'll be here a while.

Jiyong, who everyone thought would baby him the longest, was the first to back off and tell him he needed to find another way. He needed too much blood to just get it from he and Youngbae, so it was a reasonable request. Seungri had always been charismatic, Jiyong had argued that day just over 3 months ago now, so he shouldn't have any trouble going out into the world to get what he needed.

If Jiyong said no, then it stood to reason that Youngbae was off limits too, right?

“Contacts, now.” the stylist says, and Seungri blinks back into focus. He reaches out, takes the colored lenses, and pops them in without much fuss, which makes her look at him a little in concern but she doesn't say anything, just gets back to what she was doing to his face.

Youngbae is tricky, though. He'd offered every once in a while since then...until recently. And maybe Seungri shouldn't have taken him up on the offer each time he made it, or maybe he shouldn't have seemed as eager and thankful as he was. But that doesn't make sense because Youngbae loves manners and had always tolerated his eagerness. 

Seungri lets his eyes wander to the man in question through the mirror. He's behind him, sitting with Daesung and Jiyong at a table; they've got time before they need to get into their makeup so they’re just relaxing. His eyes flick over Jiyong on their way to Youngbae, and he knows he'll get in trouble for not eating enough; it'll be later, though, when they've finished and from the safety of a group text so Jiyong doesn't have to offer up his own neck.

Youngbae looks relaxed to the casual eye, but Seungri can see it, see the stiffness. He had been avoiding being with them all lately, always rushing off and leaving to get places, but for the life of him Seungri couldn't figure out where he had to go. It's not like Youngbae had appointments or meetings or anything, and if he did it was always with someone else. He'd also noticed that Youngbae seemed flushed and too warm more often than not very recently. He could smell the anxiety coming off him, the way it added a tinge to the sweet smell of his blood.

He tilts his head to the side for the stylist, eyes falling closed for a moment as he tries to figure it out. Jiyong is called up into the seat beside him while he’s thinking, and he gets a jab to the ribs from him as he moves to settle into his seat. 

“You coming out with us tonight?” he asks, and Seungri blinks at him a little slowly because he’d honestly not been paying attention to anything they may or may not have been saying. 

“Yeah, yeah after the show?” he asks, eyes moving from Jiyong back into the mirror to Youngbae who’s looking down at his phone now, but is clearly listening.

Jiyong nods, then settles into his chair with a sigh. “You gonna keep the lenses tonight, or?” he asks, and Seungri blows out a breath through his nose, loud and whiny.

“Maybe.” he says, ignoring the way Jiyong’s lips are pursed in disapproval. The text-reprimand will be switched out for a drunken one, then; it’s one of Seungri’s least favorites, but at the same time he really did deserve it. He knows better, he should have found a time to eat…

Except they’d been busy with their comeback so he couldn’t. He couldn’t slip out and play anonymous when they were practicing and performing all the time, couldn’t do it during the day. And since Youngbae had been cutting out early pretty often lately, he hadn’t even been able to get him alone to ask if he could just have a  _ little _ to tide him over until they went out. 

Jiyong is finished just before Seungri is finally allowed out of the chair, and he takes the seat that Daesung vacates, which means that Seungri will have to sit next to Youngbae. He picks his way over, mind falling back into wondering if Youngbae is hiding something from them and  _ that’s _ why he’s been ditching them so frequently. When he sits down, leg brushing Youngbae’s, Youngbae stands up and moves quickly to the vacant styling chair.

Seungri blinks, frowns, and looks up at him as he hurries away. He’ll have to revise his earlier assumption, he thinks as he schools the hurt off his face so neither Jiyong nor Seunghyun mention it, because maybe Youngbae was just avoiding  _ him. _

They’re herded out on stage soon, and Seungri tries not to let the thought that Youngbae might be avoiding him affect him in any way...but it does and it is. He starts out being Too Much; making fun of Youngbae, poking at him, highlighting him, deferring to him. Then, eventually, Jiyong catches on, or gets annoyed, and gets Daesung to take some of the spotlight, letting Youngbae move away from Seungri on stage fluidly; like it was rehearsed and not like it was proving Seungri right. After that he kept away from Youngbae, made sure not to call him out. He doesn’t step closer when Youngbae is in front of him and he wants to point something out. He doesn’t grab his arm when he spots a funny sign in the audience.

He doesn’t interact with him at all for the rest of the show, and Youngbae seems perfectly content with that.

Seungri keeps the lenses in. He decides to keep them in as they’re leaving in the hopes that Jiyong will forget that they’re in, and also so that he doesn’t feel like he’s making any of them feel guilty. When his eyes are red like this, he can see the guilt in their eyes; they want to help, but it’s better if they don’t, better for their friendships and comfort levels.

The club is packed and that’s not necessarily new, but he’s on edge because Daesung pushed him ahead and made him sit down next to Youngbae at their table. Youngbae’s all the way on the inside of their booth, can’t get away easily. Part of him is elated, a perverse part of him that wants Youngbae to feel bad and uncomfortable because that’s how  _ Seungri _ feels knowing that he’s trying to avoid him, but a slightly stronger part of him feels bad; like he’s overstepping and should pull back to make sure Youngbae is comfortable.

The first round of drinks goes down quickly, and Seunghyun is calling for shots along with their snacks and water, making a show of clearing out the center of the table so they can have room for a tray of them. Seungri gets loud, so does Daesung, Jiyong...Youngbae gets a little looser, but there’s no touching, no easy hand on his shoulder as he leans in for a shot (Jiyong is handing him his shots so he doesn’t have to move). 

But no one seems to remember that Seungri hasn’t eaten in recent memory. He considers it a job well done on the part of the contacts, and his acting skills. He’s  _ aching _ for it, though. The snacks on the table aren’t enough, and the food he’d eaten during the day triply so. Daesung hasn’t moved, though, and Jiyong hasn’t even given him a look yet. 

After the 4th round of shots, Seungri has to call it and leave. His vision is going blurry and it’s from more than just the alcohol. “I’m gonna--” he makes a hand motion, vague and completely unhelpful but they all nod anyway. “I’ll be back soon.” he adds, and Daesung slides out of the way for him, no one saying anything.

He feels a little twinge of annoyance as he walks away from the table, straightening his jacket. Why was Youngbae ignoring him so completely? Why hasn’t Jiyong reprimanded him yet?

He slips out onto the dance floor, lets his hunger help him cloud his features so no one recognizes him, and moves around. It doesn’t take him long to find someone willing to step away with him, and when he’s got them out of the crowd, it’s easy to get them to let him sink his teeth in.

He doesn’t take much, just enough to take a bit of the edge off, because he’s bordering on drunk and doesn’t want to go too far. That, and he’s still thinking about how Youngbae was acting around him. It’s throwing him off his meal, if he’s honest. Sighing, he slips away from the person and makes his way back up to their booth, hands itching to push into his pockets. He wants to look  _ sullen,  _ because it’s what he’s feeling, but he doesn’t want it to be too noticeable or  _ Youngbae _ won’t notice. When he gets back to the table, he sees that they’ve switched around, and Youngbae and Jiyong are nowhere in sight. It makes him pout, and he lets it happen because Seunghyun and Daesung won’t reprimand him, especially not when they’re as drunk as they clearly are.

“Nothing good to eat?” Seunghyun asks, and he clearly thinks that’s funny, especially when Daesung’s reaction is round-eyed shock that he’d said it.

Seungri slides into the seat beside Daesung and sighs, put-upon. “Nothing good, no.” he says, still pouting. 

“That’s too bad.” Seunghyun says, and Daesung nods in agreement, putting a hand on Seungri’s shoulder. 

“But you’re eyes look normal so you got something?” he asks, and Seungri can’t tell if Daesung just isn’t as drunk as Seunghyun, or if they’re all just not as drunk as he’s expecting them to be.

“Lenses.” He replies, and Daesung’s mouth makes a big ‘O’ of understanding, turning back to gesture to the table. 

“We’ve got plenty of drinks, and I think Jiyong is trying to drown Youngbae.” He says, and it’s all one sentence, one thought, fast and flat as if that last part wasn’t cause for some type of alarm.

Seungri blinks. “In the bathroom?” he asks, and Seunghyun chuckles across from him, reaching for a bottle and pouring Seungri a shot. 

“No, no with  _ alcohol. _ ” Daesung says at a stage-whisper, as if it were a secret.

“Why?” Seungri asks, simple and direct and demanding an easy answer.

Seunghyun shrugs, nudging the glass toward him, but Daesung opens his mouth like he’s going to answer before he snaps it shut again and smiles up at the end of the table. “D’you bring more to drink? Seungri’s got lying eyes in still.”

Seungri rolls his ‘lying’ eyes, turning to face Jiyong and Youngbae who’d clearly just walked up to the table. “When was I supposed to take them out?” he asks, pouty, because it’s the role he’s dropped himself into. 

Jiyong makes a face then reaches out and flicks Seungri in the forehead. “What are you whining about?” He asks, and then he sits down beside him, pushing Youngbae into the seat opposite them. Seungri isn’t looking at Youngbae, though, he’s decided to ignore him and see how  _ he _ likes it.

So he totally doesn’t notice that Youngbae is definitely more drunk than the rest of them (except maybe Seunghyun, can’t rule that out). Totally doesn’t see the way Youngbae’s eyes keep tracking back to him, looking him over, or the way Youngbae’s lips fall into a frown as Seungri answers  _ Jiyong’s _ questions about what he’d eaten.

“It just wasn’t good, I didn’t want it, so I stopped.” He says, frowning and petulant. He takes the shot Seunghyun had pushed in front of him, then another right after because he’d apparently been too slow in taking the first. Jiyong’s eyes narrow, and Seungri’s focused on how to defend himself so he doesn’t hear the small pained sound that Youngbae makes when Jiyong kicks him under the table.

“You’re hungry, though.” Jiyong prompts, voice a little tight even though his movements are decidedly too open and loose to match his tone. “You’re supposed to eat when you’re hungry.” and this is clearly something he’s been told many times before.

“I’m drunk and tired, too.” he says, a little under his breath, taking another shot. “I’ll be fine for another few days.” he adds, defensive, like he can’t believe Jiyong is treating him like a child when he has no idea how Seungri works; when only  _ Seungri _ knows how Seungri works.

Seunghyun leans across the table, stealing Seungri’s attention and forcing Seungri’s eyes to drag over Youngbae (who’s looking at him, watching him). “If you’re eyes are still red you’re still too hungry, right? So just take out one of his contacts and see if he’s lying.”

Seungri tries to scowl at him, but those last few shots are starting to hit him so it doesn’t really come out as fiercely as he’d planned. He knows it doesn’t because Seunghyun  _ laughs. _ He’s unhappy because Jiyong won’t just believe him, and also because he has to prove himself, and  _ also _ because he  _ is _ still hungry and doesn’t know if his eyes are normal again because he’s never checked to see how much was needed to turn them back to normal: he always just ate as much as he was hungry for and they were better.

Jiyong is clearly all for this idea, and Seungri wants to growl at him when he lunges for him, but he’s too drunk for that, so he just struggles a bit and then lets Daesung think he’s holding him back as Jiyong pops out one of the contacts. 

“Still red.” Jiyong says, triumphant, dropping the contact to the floor. Seungri pouts, shaking Daesung off him.

“I did eat, just not a lot. I’ll be  _ fine.” _ He grumbles. “I’ll just have to wear the lenses for a couple days.” It’s implied, of course, that it’s the end of the subject because he refuses to go back out and try to find someone that he will actually want to bite.

More drinks arrive around then, so Jiyong can’t lash out at him for being rude, and the conversation moves away from him and onto other things. Youngbae is quiet, though, very quiet, and Seungri’s brain files that away for later.

He hadn’t expected  _ later _ to be when Youngbae is the only other person in the car with him on the way home. Honestly, though, Youngbae shouldn’t be in the car with him now anyway because they don’t live near each other, and why isn’t Daesung here? They live in the same  _ building. _

But Youngbae is very drunk, and Jiyong had pushed Seungri into the car with him and asked  _ him _ to deal with Youngbae. It was a complete 180 from Jiyong’s stance earlier in the evening, when he’d basically made it clear that Seungri should leave Youngbae alone. So he’s stuck in his thoughts because even though Youngbae is  _ very _ drunk, very, extremely drunk, he’s clearly not planning to talk to him.

The more Seungri thinks about the situation, however, the more upset and hurt he becomes. If it’s because Youngbae doesn’t want him to bite him, then he just had to say so. And besides! Youngbae had been the one  _ offering _ , it’s not like Seungri had kept going to him. He’d been prepared not to be allowed to bite him at  _ all _ when Jiyong said no. He can’t think of any other reason for it, though, because he’s drunk, and hungry, and Youngbae smells good sitting beside him.

He doesn’t explore that thought, it’s there and gone way too quickly, his mind running back around to why Youngbae had been so quiet while they were out. He’s still hurt, though, and when the car pulls up at Youngbae’s place and Youngbae still hasn’t said anything to him, he doesn’t stop himself from being petty.

“Good thing you live so close, I guess, less time you’re forced to spend around me.” 

Youngbae pauses, one foot out the door, fingers tightening obviously against the handle. Seungri thinks he’s made Youngbae angry, can’t imagine why Youngbae would deserve to be angry over that comment, and so just crosses his arms over his chest while staring at the back of Youngbae’s head.

“Goodnight, Seungri.” Youngbae says slowly, words a little slurred and he’s clearly trying hard. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” and then he’s out of the car and Seungri scoffs while at the same time he feels a prickle of pleased excitement wash over him: he got Youngbae to talk to him.

Seungri spends more time than necessary  _ not _ sleeping that night. He should sleep, he really should, but he’s trying to piece together why Youngbae doesn’t want to be around him, and can’t for the life of him figure it out. It’s probably because he’s drunk, hungry, and tired, but he’s also  _ stubborn _ ...so he doesn’t  _ plan _ to go to sleep until he figures it out. He falls asleep extremely late into the night, and he wakes up mid-morning, still on his couch.

There are no messages on his phone, yet, but he can only imagine they'll be coming in soon. He gets up, showers, and comes back out into the kitchen, hunger making his slight hangover just that much worse. He finds something small to eat, hoping it will help him on some way. It doesn't, not really, but now Jiyong can't say he didn't try something. His phone goes off in the distance, and he knows that means it's time to go, so he goes out to get it, then heads for the door and the waiting car outside.

It's only once he's in the car that Seungri remembers how offended he'd been by Youngbae the day before, and all the feelings come back. He's in an awful mood by the time he gets to the studio, miserable and unhappy and it's just compounded by his hunger at this point. So when he enters the studio he's straight-faced, and by the time he's in the first meeting of the day he's sullen and silent. He doesn't speak for the whole meeting, doesn't meet anyone's eye. 

“something is going on with your eyes, Ri.” Daesung whispers as they leave, and Seungri realizes that he hadn't taken out the other contact; hadn't even thought about it. He sighs and leaves for the bathroom, pulling out the brown lens and spends a little time glaring at his reflection.

Is he unattractive? Is that why Youngbae is avoiding him? 

He shakes his head forcefully, confused by this turn of thought, and shoves it aside. He  _ is _ attractive, and it has nothing to do with why Youngbae can't stand to be near him. There is no reason why it would.

They have dance practice next, then probably another meeting, and Seungri is pretty certain his mood is just going to go even further south as the day progresses.

He's not wrong. By the time dance is over he's seething. Youngbae avoids him during even during choreography where they need to be close, and then is the first out of the studio to get to their meeting. It throws Seungri off, hurts his feelings, and it feels deeper than that but he's so unhappy that he can't unpack that. 

Jiyong, who had been firmly on Youngbae's side the day before, and clearly for the last 3 weeks as well, manipulates the seating at the next meeting so Seungri has no choice but to sit next to Youngbae.

He smells good. Youngbae tasted good, as well. He'd always tasted better than Jiyong, or most other people he bit. Of course a lot of the other people he took from were faceless, just bodies he found while a little tipsy in a club. But Youngbae always smelled good, and he couldn't explain the smell because it was still  _ blood _ but he always felt better after drinking from Youngbae.

Seungri shakes his head, fingers tapping against the table as he tries to look nonchalant despite thinking about how much he liked the way Youngbae tasted. That was new, wasn't it? But it wasn't, it was just new to be obsessively thinking about it. He tries to block out the smell, ignore it because it's just making him hungrier and he can't deal with that for another few days unless he gets permission to bite one of the other employees (too much begging and more reprimanding than it is worth).

Youngbae suddenly decides to be unhelpful, and maybe it's because he's finally getting to him, back to him, leaning comfortably in his chair, but Youngbae leans forward and his smell overpowers everything else with a suddenness that throws him completely off. Seungri actually has to sit up, concentration gone entirely, and try to find something in the room to focus on. He tries to sit up calmly, is pretty certain he manages it, but his gaze lands on Jiyong while trying to find something to focus on, and he knows he's found out.

Jiyong watches him with intense interest, and then he's surreptitiously getting onto his phone, and Seungri's eyes narrow, trying to figure out who who could be texting. He's got a slightly triumphant smile on his face when he's done, and it turns innocent when he locks eyes with Seungri again, before he raises his eyebrows in slight challenge. Seungri looks down, wonders if covering his nose would be too obvious, and then just gives up and decides he'll have to just ask what the meeting was about after it's over.

Jiyong looks like he's going to corner him when they get up, but he doesn't, so Seungri sidles up beside Daesung before he can leave the meeting and asks for a breakdown of what he'd missed. Youngbae, he tries not to note, runs up to catch up with Jiyong. He also tries not to note that Youngbae actually still looks hungover, which is strange for Youngbae, because he rarely if ever looked hungover...ever.

Seungri waits to check his phone until Daesung has finished giving him an outline of what the meeting was, but he’s got no texts from Jiyong like he thought he might. 

“Are you okay?” Daesung asks, hand coming up to Seungri’s arm to lead him out of the conference room and off to the side of the hallway. “You didn’t eat enough last night, we’ve already had a long day, will you be okay?” he asks, and it’s quiet, fingers coming up to press against Seungri’s forehead to check his temperature.

He appreciates that, he really does, but Daesung can’t hear the soft intake of breath from just ahead of them, can’t tell that it’s Youngbae who does it. Seungri knows that Youngbae heard the comment, and that perverse part of him is glad, but the rest of him winces a little. 

“I’ll make it through today. I’ll just, I’ll go out again tonight, don’t worry, hyung.” He says, soft and quick and reassuring. He doesn’t want Daesung to worry, doesn’t want to be a burden for anyone,  _ doesn’t want Youngbae to… _

He doesn’t know what he doesn’t want Youngbae to think, but it feels like  _ everything _ right now. 

“Do you want me to go out with you? Or…?” Daesung asks, and Seungri feels a little bit of his bad mood drain away at that; Daesung was genuine.

“No, it’ll be faster if I go alone.” he grins, then, eyes sparkling red. “Can’t be hungover two mornings in a row.” and Daesung laughs, shoving him just a little, and they tease each other the rest of the way down the hall and up toward the studio. Just outside, he pauses, causing Daesung to pause as well. He can hear Jiyong and Youngbae in there already, and he bites his lip, then turns a worried look on Daesung. “Is Youngbae-hyung mad at me?” he asks, and it’s quiet enough that only Daesung can hear it; vulnerable enough that maybe he won’t be teased.

Daesung blinks, expression going from mild confusion to concern. “He hasn’t said anything.” he says after a short moment’s thought. Then he bites his lip, eyes trailing to the door like he’s putting a few puzzle pieces together. “He’s been a bit distant recently, I’m sure it has nothing to do with you.” he adds in a tone that says all the pieces fit together and the picture reads:  _ it’s you. _

Seungri sighs, nods like he believes him, and follows him into the studio. Youngbae is leaning over Jiyong at the computer, clearly not having a conversation about the music, but Seungri is too dejected to try and listen in. Instead, he lounges on the couch, leaning back, eyes half-closed. Daesung interrupts them, and soon they're working...but Seungri is again only paying a little bit of attention; he can feel Youngbae's eyes on him.

It’s distracting. He’s not sure if he’s ever felt this distracted by Youngbae ever before, but he must have, because it can’t be  _ new. _ He wracks his brain for any time prior to now when he’d been distracted by things Youngbae did, but can’t come up with anything like this.

He brings it up at dinner with Jiyong later. He’s not sure  _ why _ he’s out to dinner with Jiyong, how he got there, when he agreed to it, but one minute he was sulking in a corner at the studio, and the next he blinked and was sitting next to Jiyong at some fancy sushi place. He brings it up because it’s the last thought he has before he’s slammed back into reality, and Jiyong, for his part, doesn’t seem all that surprised by it.

“It’s because he was always there, whenever you wanted him.” he says, eyes on the chef as he prepares the first course. “And now that he’s not, it’s much easier to see...notice, you know?” and Seungri, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his very empty stomach, does know.

“Why isn’t he, though?” Seungri asks, trying to keep his whine to a minimum so no one feels the need to listen in. “Around.” he adds, then: “me” he says, for clarity. He feels choppy, he used to be so suave, but now he’s hurt and unhappy and so hungry.

Jiyong makes a soft noise, like an amused snort, and ignores the question for the moment, phone out to take a video as the first course is placed before them. “He’s...Sensitive.” Jiyong says slowly as he looks over the video and then posts it. “You take a lot out of a person, you know?” he says, looking up, a teasing glint in his eye.

But it doesn’t soften the blow, because Seungri  _ doesn’t understand. _ “So he  _ is _ mad at me?” He asks, voice softer than normal, vulnerable, and it’s not an act right now, Jiyong can see through him when he’s acting. This is genuine.

Jiyong sighs, runs a hand through his hair, puts his phone in his pocket, and takes his time to answer. He picks up the delicate first course, uses the dipping sauce carefully, and then places it in his mouth. Seungri turns his eyes away from him pretty quickly, glaring down at his food before he eats it. 

“No, he’s not mad at you.” Jiyong says, and he’d clearly been using the time to decide what he was going to say; which is ridiculous because he’d had the entire ride here to decide, hadn’t he? Isn’t this why he’d brought Seungri out in the first place? The look from over the conference table had spoken volumes, and it comes back to Seungri now.

“Then why is he avoiding me?” He asks, “Why won’t he talk to me, or look at me….”

“He’s definitely still looking at you, and I don’t believe for a second that you haven’t noticed that.” Jiyong says, eyes on the chef again, anticipation clear in his expression. 

“ _ Today _ he looked at me, whatever.” Seungri says, before reminding himself to calm down so as not to attract attention. “But he hasn’t been, and he tries to get away from me more often than not.”

Jiyong sighs, heavy and put upon, and sets his chopsticks down, turning to look at Seungri fully. “Youngbae isn’t mad at you, he doesn’t hate you, he just needs some space, okay?” then, “I know you’re not interested in the food, but please at least pretend and you can bite me later, okay?”

Seungri flushes slightly, but it’s more from frustration than from anything else. “I don’t even remember agreeing to come here, and I don’t want  _ you.” _ he says, almost disgusted.

Jiyong’s eyes narrow as Seungri starts to respond, and then his face clears into an expression that says ‘ah!’ even though he doesn’t actually say it. He doesn’t say anything else on the subject after that, and Seungri flushes dark, wondering what Jiyong must have gathered from that that he hadn’t meant to reveal.

He doesn’t get to eat.

Seungri finds himself back in his apartment, pouty and hungry. But he really  _ didn’t _ want to bite Jiyong. He didn’t like the way Jiyong smelled anymore. Or maybe it wasn’t that he didn’t like it, it was just that he knew he liked something  _ more _ and couldn’t have it.

_ That something was Youngbae, and that shouldn’t be allowed, right? He shouldn’t be...should he? He doesn’t know enough about vampires to say if this is a thing that happens normally. _

They don’t have to be anywhere today, so Seungri wakes up, tries to ignore how hungry he is, scrolls through instagram, gets his car keys, drives out to Youngbae’s apartment building...He stops himself before he gets out of his car, drops his head to the steering wheel, and groans

After a few minutes he pulls out his phone, head still against the steering wheel, and dials Jiyong. “Hyung, tell me why I’m at Youngbae-hyung’s.” he asks, and he sounds done, sounds exasperated with himself and his situation. 

Jiyong makes an amused noise on the other end of the line. “Because you like him.” he says, and Seungri makes a light growling noise which only serves to make Jiyong laugh out loud. “Go up, you won’t be turned away.” he adds, amused, before hanging up on him.

Seungri makes a frustrated noise and knocks his head against the steering wheel a few times, narrowly missing the horn, before he sits back and pushes open the door to get out. Jiyong was right, of course, he thinks.

He stops dead in his tracks just a few steps from his car, onsiders turning around and going home, and then sighs in defeat; if Jiyong hadn’t already warned Youngbae he was coming up then he didn’t know anything about Jiyong.  _ That and he’s too hungry, and it’s too true, for him to leave. _

He makes his way upstairs, slow and dragging his feet, and then presses the buzzer, waiting for Youngbae to ring him in before he steps in, slips his shoes off, and focuses a little to figure out where Youngbae is. He hears the TV in the living room, and heads that way, padding softly down the hall. “Hyung?” he asks as he steps in, and Youngbae looks up at him from the couch, a slightly guarded look on his face, but he pats the spot beside him. 

“Sit.” he says, and Seungri does. 

He feels like he’s in trouble, or like Youngbae knows and is being purposefully distant now. But they’re just silent through the rest of whatever show Youngbae was watching, and then Youngbae turns to him. He looks calm, looks like he’s come to a decision after a lot of thought, and Seungri isn’t sure that’s a good thing or not.

“I’m sorry.” Youngbae says, firm and sincere, eyes going sad. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, or make you think...I should have actually thought.” he says, and Seungri honestly hadn’t been expecting this.

He blinks, once, twice, but he’s hazy and unfocused again because Youngbae smells  _ so good _ and it’s more than his blood, it’s  _ him. _ He smells freshly washed, clean and bright but there’s something earthy, something manly about his smell and Seungri stops himself from leaning closer only because he’s surprised.

“You weren’t there.” he says, and that really did hurt. “If you’d just told me I couldn’t….It would have been less.” He isn’t sure how to say what he wants to, but he knows it’s true. He’d have probably pined a little for Youngbae’s blood, but he’d still have been able to eat and go out because he wouldn’t have been so hyper-focused on finding out why Youngbae didn’t want him.

Youngbae blows out a breath, rubs a hand over the back of his neck, and Seungri’s eyes catch the bulge of muscle in Youngbae’s bicep, the veins in Youngbae’s neck. “I know, it wasn’t fair to you, didn’t help me…”

Seungri is leaning in again, isn’t sure if Youngbae knows how alluring he is like this, like anything. “Didn’t help.” he murmurs, only half aware of what Youngbae is saying. He’s closer now, and it takes until his hand is on Youngbae’s arm for Youngbae to notice.

“Hey, hey, what’s this?” he asks, and there’s a mixture of emotions in Youngbae’s voice: amusement, fondness, worry, fear. “Are you listening, Seungri?” He asks, and Seungri’s eyes dart to his, wide and red and bright.

“No.” he says, truthful because he’s still not paying attention. 

A flicker of doubt crosses Youngbae’s face, but then he seems to bolster himself again because he’s  _ sort of _ got Seungri’s attention. “Jiyong said you turned him down last night.” He says, like he wants confirmation.

“Don’t want him.” Seungri says, blinking, eyes going softer for just a moment while a frown touches his lips. “He doesn’t smell right.”

Youngbae bites his lip, notes when Seungri’s eyes drop to it, and allows a small smile to grace his lips. “You should have taken him up on it, you’re too hungry, when was the last time you actually ate?” he asks, almost chiding, a hand moving to fix Seungri’s hair.

“He’d have tasted wrong, I don’t want him.” Seungri reiterates, shifting a little closer. “You smell right.  _ You _ do.” He says, insistent, too entranced to really explain what the issue is.  _ You like him, you like his smell, his taste, his touch, his presence. _

Youngbae flushes a little, and Seungri’s nostrils flare. “When was the last time you ate, Seungri?” He asks again, a little firmer.

“I don’t remember.” He admits, licking his lower lip. “At the club I had barely anything, she wasn’t right, and, and we were busy before that.” He says, and his eyes are focused on Youngbae’s neck.

Youngbae makes a soft noise, resolve crumbling away despite wanting to hold out for just a few minutes more at least. “You’ll focus better after you’ve eaten, right?” he asks, and Seungri makes a soft sound, almost a whimper. “Alright, come here.”

Seungri shifts forward instantly, one hand still on Youngbae’s upper arm, the other moving up to tilt Youngbae’s head to the side. He takes in a deep breath through his nose as he leans forward, eyes falling closed as his lips part. He’s too hungry, he knows, but it’s  _ Youngbae _ so a very loud part of his brain is keeping him in check. He bites down, and groans instantly, a reaction he’s pretty certain he’s never had. He lets his tongue press down against skin, and the smell paled in comparison to the taste, to the warm way Youngbae’s blood filled him. That loud part of his brain chides him, keeps him from pulling too fast, and just before the point when he thinks Youngbae will get drowsy, he pulls back.

He feels a little bit like a puppy, now. The kind that’s so eager to see you that they piddle on the floor, and he settles back a little bit, tongue running over his lips and teeth to clean them off, with his eyes wide and innocent and slowly bleeding back to brown as they look up at Youngbae. “Thank you.” he says softly, and Youngbae just kind of looks at him for a second, before nodding a little jerkily. 

Seungri bites his lip, then realizes that he should probably get something for Youngbae, who’s looking a little dazed himself now. He gets up quickly, only to note that there’s already fruit and juice on the coffee table; Youngbae had known.

He reaches out and grabs him something, holding it out. “I’m sorry, I was so hungry…” He bites his lip, and Youngbae takes the fruit, but frowns.

“No, you’re fine.” he says, then he sighs, leaning forward, and Seungri worries that he took too much and Youngbae really needs to eat that… “I couldn’t have just told you no.” he says, and then pops the piece of fruit into his mouth. “I can’t, so it was easier to just  _ not be around. _ ”

Seungri frowns, watching him. He’s more present now, because he’s not hungry anymore, but he’s got to catch up with all of his own thoughts, and piece together what he remembers from just before he ate… “I don’t understand.” He says, just a little slow, like he’s testing out if it will still be true when he finishes speaking.

Youngbae sighs, grabs another piece of fruit and sits back. “Don’t worry about it, Ri, I was just being dumb.” He says, and it’s a cop out, but Seungri isn’t certain if he should push or not; if that would be accepted. 

He lets Youngbae win, though. Lets him make a few more soft excuses, promises not to do it again. It’s all skin deep, though, Seungri notes later as he finds himself still horribly distracted by everything that’s Youngbae;  _ you thought it would go away after you ate? Are you dumb? _ Youngbae is hiding why he’d tried to pull back, and Seungri isn’t sure how to get it out of him.

He curls in against Youngbae’s side, content and drowsy, and doesn’t even think about it. It’s not a normal thing for him to do, though. He’s curled up against Daesung, Jiyong...but never really Youngbae. Youngbae always handled him too brashly, too rough when he didn’t need actual comfort; There’d also always been some type of invisible barrier. He’d always wanted to break through it, but didn’t know what had caused it. He does now, though, it’s attraction and he should really keep that in mind.

Youngbae shifts, stiffens, then lets his arm move around Seungri to hold onto him. It’s nice, Seungri thinks, warm and comforting. Youngbae is strong, and it feels so much more intimate, somehow (because you want it to be, that’s how).

“Hyung, if you don’t want me to bite you…?” he trails off, a little sleepy, too comfortable.

Youngbae makes a confused noise, the emotion behind it is something that Seungri can’t place right now. “No, it’s because I  _ do. _ ” He says, and that makes Seungri’s eyebrows scrunch up in confusion and he opens his mouth but Youngbae beats him to it. “I like it, like that you want my attention for a little while.” he says, and Seungri is shocked still for a second as a tingle of pleased excitement bubbles through him, followed by curiosity.

“I  _ always _ want your attention, clearly.” he says, and he knows it’s not always clear, but it was clear yesterday, and the day before. “I didn’t have your attention for almost 3 weeks.” He adds softly, like Youngbae won’t hear it if he says it softly enough. 

“Clearly.” Youngbae muses, then squeezes Seungri tightly against him. “I already said I was sorry, so all I can do now is try to make it up to you.” he says.

And he does.

Seungri isn’t totally surprised, but Youngbae kind of goes overboard. He gets more attention from him than he had the entire month before he’d tried to avoid him; and he loves it. He loves every second of it. Daesung is so sick of them, sick of Youngbae picking and teasing, sick of Seungri whining and complaining. Seungri can  _ feel _ how sick of it Daesung is, and then it comes to a head.

“Just tell him you like him, or however you want to do it, but just do it and save yourself this weird agony you're putting yourself through.” Jiyong says, and Seungri can hear it through the slightly cracked door. He’d not meant to eavesdrop, but he’d been on his way back to the studio anyway, and hadn’t expected a private conversation like this to be going on.

He doesn’t need to hear the voice to know it’s Youngbae that Jiyong is talking to; he can smell him. “I’ll be fine. He just wants my attention, Ji, nothing more, I’m not going to push something he doesn’t want at him.”

Jiyong makes a frustrated noise, one that’s usually accompanied by a hand pushing through his hair. “You’re miserable.” he points out, and that makes Seungri frown just a little, trying to see if he could place anytime when Youngbae looked unhappy. “And it will only get worse. I see you when he goes out. When we were out last night? God, Bae, you were so jealous.”

Youngbae makes a wounded sound, and Seungri backs away from the door hurriedly, doesn’t want to hear any more. He rushes back down the hallway and then stops around the corner, trying to put last night together in his mind. He’d left the table too often, though, to see what Jiyong was talking about. He  _ does _ remember Youngbae getting quieter as the night went on, but…

He shakes his head, squares his shoulders, and walks back to the studio. He pushes the door open, and is pleased to note that there isn’t any talking...in fact it seems pretty empty. He turns around, a little confused, and then spots Jiyong huddled over his desk. 

“I thought everyone…”

Jiyong sits up and turns to look at him. “Youngbae will be back soon.” he says, looking Seungri over very closely. “You ate last night, right?” He asks, and Seungri frowns.

“Yeah.” He says, then realizes Jiyong didn't mention Daesung or Seunghyun. 

“You don't eat a lot, anymore, right? Don't need to?” he asks, and Seungri's eyebrows pinch together, but he nods. 

“No, just once a week or so.” He says, then realizes he's walked into a trap because Jiyong’s eyes light up like Seungri had just confirmed something for him.

Thinking back over what he said, he realizes, with a barely contained wince, that he had. He only needs to eat once per week so long as he gets the proper amount of blood, which isn't hard to get from one person. But he  _ hasn't _ been doing that. He's been going to Youngbae on days when they're busy and asking him if he can just take a little, and then, like last night, just taking a little from someone random in order to keep up appearances.

“So you don't need to eat every day…” Jiyong says, and it's not a question, but Seungri shakes his head anyway. “Interesting.” Jiyong says, and then his eyes travel over Seungri's shoulder to land on a point behind him before he turns back to the desk.

Seungri feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he  _ knows _ that Youngbae is behind him. He tries to keep his cool, giving Jiyong a look as he turns for the couch. “hey, hyung.” He says, voice a little more strained than he would like as he acknowledges Youngbae on his way past.

Youngbae looks confused, but it slowly evens out as he walks closer to where Jiyong is. Seungri wants to know how much he heard, because he'd been so focused on his screw up that he hadn't been paying attention. But maybe it's okay, maybe it's not a big deal that he craves Youngbae and can only bite someone else if Youngbae is physically near him. Maybe that's alright and Youngbae will understand if he asks, which he won't because he's Youngbae.

He does ask.

It's late, and Seungri had let himself be talked into going out to a restaurant with all of them. He likes going out with them, but he'd kind of wanted to hide….just in case. They're all leaving, broken up into pairs and waiting for rides, and Seunghyun leaves with Daesung, then Jiyong with one of the managers, and Seungri barely notices at first but now he's alone with Youngbae and being ushered into a car with him.

“If you only need to eat once a week, why did you eat last night?” Youngbae asks, and it's clear he's been thinking about it for a while, voice slow as he gets the question out. It's dark in the car, so Seungri is safe from having his blush found out.

“Ah,” he says, and it’s extremely eloquent, or...it’s really not, but he can’t be blamed for that right now. “I was, ah, still hungry.” He says, and it’s not a lie, he really had still been hungry. Of course, it had really only been for show; he could have waited another day or two and then gone to Youngbae and still been fine.

Youngbae blinks at him, and Seungri can see it in the dark of the car, his own eyes much better at night. “So you didn’t take enough from me?” he asks, leading. 

Seungri makes a face, almost a wince. “I did, almost.” He says, and then he can’t stop himself because it’s late and Youngbae asked him and he can’t lie. “But if I didn’t go last night then Jiyong hyung would have asked why I didn’t and” and then he pauses, because the next part of that sentence is ‘I would have had to admit that I only needed to eat once a week and I’d already fed off you twice’, and he isn’t sure he wants to say that.

“And?” Youngbae prompts, and Seungri swallows, eyes falling closed for a moment, because this is embarrassing, why did he get himself into this mess? How? And why does Youngbae care? Is it because whoever it is that he likes would probably not like Seungri biting him multiple times a week?

“Ah, because then I’d have had to admit that I only need to eat once a week and...and that I’d already bitten you twice.” He says, though, of course, He wouldn’t have had to admit that he bit Youngbae twice, not necessarily, but Youngbae would probably have piped up in confusion and…

Youngbae makes a soft noise of understanding, but Seungri isn’t sure that he  _ really _ understands, not like Seungri actually means it.

“So, then, why did you ask me, twice?” Youngbae asks, and Seungri makes a small noise, because he’s pretty certain they went over this briefly when Seungri had shown up at his apartment a few weeks ago.

“Because I...because it’s...I don’t know how to explain it.” he tries, then sighs and tries again. “Because I  _ want _ to bite you, and other people are just...they’re just not you.” he says, pouting.

Youngbae shifts beside him, and Seungri doesn’t look up but he imagines that he’s biting his lip. “So it’s just because..”

“It’s because I like you, I think, but I don’t know? I don’t know any other vampires, I can’t ask anyone if this is normal, but I can’t bite someone else unless I know I can bite you, unless I’ve already eaten, I don’t know it’s weird and I don’t, I don’t understand.” Seungri says in a rush, not wanting Youngbae to get the wrong idea, not wanting this to go longer because he’s too impatient for that.

“Oh.” Youngbae says, and it’s almost relieved sounding, and Seungri looks up, eyes tracking quickly to the front of the car to make sure that the driver isn’t paying attention to them. “Then I guess, I guess that makes, ah, that’s better than I’d hoped.”

Seungri blinks, then frowns. “I just told you I like you, and your response is that it’s ‘better than you’d hoped’? What does that mean?” He asks, petulant sounding, embarrassed and too open right now for Youngbae not to be reacting how he’d like.

Youngbae chuckles, and it sounds like he was surprised into it, but it just makes Seungri pout more. “I had to...ah hold on, come up with me?” he asks, the car having come to a stop. Seungri heaves out a put upon sigh, but gets out of the car.

Youngbae leads him up and into the apartment building, not talking again until they’re in the elevator, and then only to ask if he’s cold, which makes Seungri give him a flat look (Youngbae’s eyes are shining in amusement at the reaction). “When I stopped, when I tried pulling away from you it was because I’d realized that I liked you, and I couldn’t keep letting you come to me like that because it hurt.” He says after they’ve settled down in the living room. 

Seungri is a little surprised that Youngbae was able to say that all without stumbling, but his voice is soft and earnest, so he’s trying hard to be open. “The biting? The biting shouldn’t hurt I make sure…” He trails off, because Youngbae chuckles.

“No, it hurt to see you going out and finding other people. I was getting possessive and I couldn’t do it anymore; not to you or to Jiyong or to the rest of the group. I know you didn’t notice, but...but it would have gotten worse, it took a lot of control not to..” Youngbae sighs, shaking his head. “But the point, as you mentioned earlier, isn’t that, it’s that I like you.”

Seungri blinks, then lets a smile cross over his face. “Good.” he says, nodding his head a little like they’ve just made a deal. His smile falters just a little after that, because he’s sitting on Youngbae’s couch, middle of the night, no idea where this conversation was supposed to lead.

Youngbae bites his lip, clearly having come to the same conclusion as him. “So, now you know, now I know…” he trails off, and Seungri doesn’t even give himself a moment to blink, let alone think.

He reaches out as he leans forward, hand catching at the back of Youngbae’s neck and pulling him close to press their lips together; warm and simple. Youngbae’s hands come up to grab Seungri’s shirt at his waist, and they pull back for a moment, before Youngbae presses back in, lips parting, for a deeper, slightly more desperate kiss.

“Now Jiyong can back off, and Daesung can stop glaring at us both.” Youngbae says, answering himself when they part this time.

Seungri hums, “And I can stop pretending I want anyone else.” he murmurs, pulling him in again.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god stop me with these weird vampiresbutstillidols aus because I can do better than this.


End file.
